Jordan sentences 4 to 20 years over Muslim Brotherhood plot to undermine national security

Dubai: A Jordanian court on Wednesday sentenced four people to 20 years in prison for plotting to undermine national security, in a case linked to the recently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Earlier this month, Jordan’s intelligence service announced the arrest of 16 suspects and the foiling of what it described as plans aimed at “targeting national security, sowing chaos, and carrying out acts of sabotage” within the kingdom.

In a follow-up move, Jordan officially banned the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing the organisation of manufacturing and stockpiling weapons and planning actions to destabilise the country.

On Wednesday, the State Security Court confirmed that four of the 16 suspects had been convicted and handed 20-year prison sentences along with unspecified financial penalties.

The court stated that the individuals were found guilty of “possessing explosives, weapons, and ammunition with the intent to use them unlawfully and to carry out acts that would disrupt public order and endanger societal safety and security,” in violation of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

While the court did not explicitly identify the four as members of the Muslim Brotherhood, state television had earlier broadcast what it described as confessions from three of the suspects, who reportedly admitted to belonging to the Islamist group.

In response, the Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement distancing itself from the defendants, asserting that they had acted independently and not on behalf of the organisation.

On April 23, Interior Minister Mazen Al Faraya announced the government’s decision to “ban all activities of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood and to consider any activity carried out under its name a violation of the law.”

Despite a 2020 ruling by Jordan’s top court ordering the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group had continued operating informally in the kingdom, with authorities previously appearing to tolerate its presence.